NYIT approved to open first D.O. school in NEA

JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - Northeast Arkansas will soon add the distinction of having one of the state's two medical schools.

The New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine received final approval to recruit students, open a second location on the campus of Arkansas State University in August 2016 and become the first osteopathic medical school in the state.

NYITCOM at A-State, according to a news release from the university, will join the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as the state's only two medical schools.

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation endorsed the launch at a meeting on Sunday.

A-State approached NYIT in 2012 with the idea of bringing its medical program to Jonesboro.

A feasibility study "concluded a D.O. school in Jonesboro would help meet the demand for more primary care physicians in the Delta and have an initial $70 million economic impact on Northeast Arkansas," the release stated.

"This is an extraordinary, transformative development for the citizens of Arkansas and the Delta, and for our institutions," said A-State Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson. "NYIT's highly regarded osteopathic curriculum is a boon to our university, our community, and to all of the new medical students we will welcome to our campus."

A $12.6 million renovation and modernization of A-State's historical Wilson Hall to accommodate the medial program will continue through the spring.

The school is expected to hire 80 faculty, staff and administrative positions within two years.